Mariah Carey Wears Over Ten Million in Diamonds to Claim Her First Video Vanguard Trophy
- Sep 7, 2025
- 3 min read
7 September 2025
Mariah Carey lit up the stage at the 2025 MTV Video Music Awards in a way only she could, marking a career milestone with no small amount of sparkle. She stepped into the limelight at UBS Arena in New York, receiving her first ever Video Vanguard Award after decades in music, and she did it outfitted in a showpiece worthy of the moment. Her performance and appearance were built around opulence, artistry, and a reminder of how style can speak without words.
The evening opened with Carey in a champagne-silk robe, feathers brushing her skin, entrance delicate yet commanding. As the audience held its breath she shed that layer to reveal a gold bodysuit glazed with crystal work. The costume was tight under stage lights, shimmering in every angle like molten metal frozen mid-flow. Matching boots climbed her legs in the same gold-glitter scheme, making the whole look a single sculptural moment alive with motion.
But the jewels those stole many hearts. She wore a necklace named “Rosée Éternelle,” a Levuma creation, carrying over 200 carats of white diamonds, valued in the millions. Chandelier earrings echoed that heaviness of grandeur. Bracelets stacked in layers, artisan-crafted, with stones so large they created liquid light in movement. A single ring flashed gold metal and fire when she moved her hand. It was a reminder that Carey is not just a star in voice and song but a star in spectacle.
She accepted the award amid applause and reflection. Presenting was Ariana Grande, a newer generation carrying torch in Carey’s stead. Carey, 56, became the oldest person yet to win this Vanguard honor joining a lineage of heavyweights such as Beyoncé, Madonna, Rihanna, Jennifer Lopez. For many fans it felt overdue. Despite her many nominations, this was the first time she took home MTV’s Moon Person in this category.
Her live performance was an emotional arc, a medley of her biggest hits old and new. Songs like “Dreamlover,” “Heartbreaker,” “We Belong Together” carried weight each lyric stirred memories. She reminded listeners that her artistry has been visual as much as it has been vocal that music videos weren’t just promotion but storytelling, drama, fantasy. Artistry illustrated in light and motion.
Her acceptance speech had humility and humor. As she lifted the award she laughed softly and said, “What in the Sam Hill were you waiting for?” It was a light-hearted jab at the long road. In full sincerity she spoke of her life’s work of visuals she’s shaped, stories she’s lived, music she’s shared and how video and image have always been part of her creative language.
This moment was layered: fashion, history, performance, identity. Carey not only received recognition but embodied it. The costume, the jewels, the standing ovation, the dripping gold ensemble all became part of her narrative. She entered the VMAs not simply to collect an award but to remind the world the Vanguard is not just about legacy it is about presence, about a flame unextinguished.
Around her, fans and critics alike couldn’t help but notice the visceral power of the evening. It’s rare to see a style choice so grand that it becomes inseparable from the emotional moment. Carey drew all eyes: not by gimmick but by grace and by legacy. At an awards show built on pushing boundaries, she offered the kind of elegance that resets the bar.
In the end this was Carey’s night in full color, gold tones, diamond fire. For fans, for pop culture watchers, it was affirmation: icons can still become new versions of themselves. The lights, the costume, the jewels they framed something deeper: a woman who has given so much of herself to music and image and now gets both acknowledged and revered in a way that feels just right. It is not merely a trophy. It is a marker of why she still matters, still glitters, still leads.
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